COVID-19 India Highlights: Total cases are set to cross the 5.5 lakh-mark. (File)
Coronavirus Highlightss: Large swathes of the country are set to remain under lockdown as the government announced the second phase of the country's gradual emergence from restrictions. While lockdown will stay containment zones, the other areas will have certain relaxations in terms of night curfew and people's presence in shops. But there will be no big ticket changes yet like opening of schools and colleges, cinema halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, bars and assembly halls or metro services will not happen yet.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the country today at 4 pm as the fifth phase of lockdown comes to an end.
The second phase of unlock comes as India recorded more than 19,000 new coronavirus patients for a second consecutive day and the total cases are set to cross the 5.5 lakh-mark.
Till July 31, only essential activities will be allowed in containment zones, of which national capital Delhi has more than 470. Besides, a number of states, including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Bengal and Assam, have announced that they will extend the lockdown in some districts beyond June 30.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases In India Highlights:
Delhi Medical Council To Train Health Care WorkersThe Delhi Medical Council has collaborated with New Delhi authorities to train community-based health care workers in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
In a statement, the DMC said under the Swasthyadhoot scheme, it will provide motivated and committed doctors to train community-based health care workers.
"Training will make them aware of basic health care needs of COVID-19 patients. This collaboration will try to overcome the scarcity of health care professionals with better utilisation of limited resources," it said, news agency PTI reported.
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA has tested positive for COVID-19 in Goa on Tuesday.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told ANI, "Goa BJP MLA from South Goa has tested positive for Covid-19. He is being shifted to ESI hospital."
According to the Union Ministry of Health, Goa has reported 1,198 COVID-19 cases including 717 active cases, 478 patients cured/discharged/migrated while three died due to the virus as of June 30.
Delhi Reported More Than 75 Per Cent Of Total COVID-19 Cases In JuneMore than 75 per cent of the total coronavirus cases in the national capital were reported in June, when the curbs were eased during Unlock1, according to the Delhi government's health department data.
According to the data, 66,526 fresh coronavirus cases were reported from June 1 to June 30.
The current coronavirus count of the city stands at 87,360, which is highest among cities in the country.
Among the states and Union Territories, Delhi has the highest number of cases after Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. It has 26,270 active cases, while the death count stands at 2,742.
Railways To Expand Mumbai Local Services But For Essential Staff OnlyThe Railways will expand its suburban services in Mumbai from Wednesday and run 350 trains each in the Central and Western Railway Zones, Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday.
The trains will, however, only carry essential services personnel identified by the Maharashtra government.
Local trains, the lifeline of the country's financial capital, were suspended on March 23 as national lockdown to contain coronavirus came into force.
"Railways to expand to 350 local trains in Mumbai from tomorrow. As identified by State govt., essential staff incl. employees of Centre, IT, GST, Customs, Postal, Nationalised Banks, MBPT (Mumbai Port Trust), Judiciary, Defence & Raj Bhavan allowed. No services yet for general passengers," Mr Goyal tweeted.
Both the railway zones that cater to Mumbai had resumed their select suburban services for essential staff from June 15.
Assam Reports 613 COVID-19 Cases In Highest Single Day JumpAssam recorded its highest single-day spike of 613 fresh COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, with the state's tally crossing the 8,000-mark and the death count rising to 12, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in the state reached 8,407 and Guwahati city, which falls under Kamrup (Metro) district and where a complete lockdown has been imposed for 14 days since June 28 midnight, has reported 1,767 cases so far.
The earlier highest single-day spike of 331 cases was reported on June 21.
903 new COVID-19 positive case and 36 deaths have been reported in Mumbai. Total number of cases rise to 77,197 including 28,473 active cases, 44,170 recovered cases and 4554 deaths: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)
Ghaziabad coronavirus case count rises to 1,615
Ghaziabad has surpassed Gautam Buddh Nagar to become the district in Uttar Pradesh with maximum number of active cases of COVID-19, official data showed.
Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded 97 new cases, as its count of positive cases reached 2,304 while the number of active cases stood at 776, according to a 24-hour data issued by the Uttar Pradesh Health department today.
Ghaziabad during the same period recorded 151 new cases and four deaths linked to COVID-19. The number of active cases in the district rose to 882, while the overall count of positive cases reached 1,615, the data said.
Rahul Gandhi's conversation with four Indian nurses on COVID-19 to be aired tomorrow
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's conversation with four Indian nurses working in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and India will be aired on Wednesday during which they will share their experience of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the latest episode of conversations that the Congress leader has been holding on the coronavirus pandemic, he will speak to the nurses on a range of subjects, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in a statement.
Punjab issues fresh guidelines for next phase of coronavirus lockdown
The Punjab government issued fresh guidelines for the next phase of the coronavirus lockdown from July 1 to 31, saying there will be no restriction on interstate and intrastate movement of people and goods.
No separate permission/approval/e-permit will be required for such movements, according to the guidelines issued for the period.
Interstate and intrastate movement of buses will be allowed without any restriction and transportation vehicles can utilise the entire seating capacity, an official spokesperson said. He said schools, colleges, educational and coaching institutions will remain closed till July 31.
US could see 100,000 new coronavirus cases a day: Official
The United States could see 100,000 new coronavirus cases a day, top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci warned Tuesday.
"We are now having 40-plus thousand new cases a day," Fauci said in testimony to the Senate health and education committee.
"I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around," Fauci said. "And so I'm very concerned."
The director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases declined to predict a figure for the expected number of deaths in the United States from the pandemic but said it is going to be "disturbing."
India Supports UN Initiative To Stop Spread Of COVID-19 MisinformationIndia is supporting a global initiative by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that aims to stop the spread of misinformation and fake news related to coronavirus on social media and has also co-authored a cross-regional statement to fight the "infodemic" or the manipulated information relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tamil Nadu's COVID-19 count crosses 90,000-mark
Tamil Nadu's COVID-19 count crossed the 90,000 mark with nearly 4,000 new cases being reported for the third consecutive day today.
At least 60 more people died due to COVID-19 today taking the death count to 1,201, the government said.
Chennai recorded the highest single day increase of 2,393 cases, a health department bulletin said.
Chennai's cumulative share of virus cases till date is 58,327, while Tamil Nadu's case count stands at 90,167.
Gujarat's COVID-19 case count rises to 32,446
Gujarat reported 620 new COVID-19 cases, taking the overall count to 32,446 in the state, the health department said. With 20 more people dying due to the infection, the death count has risen to 1,848, it said.
A total of 422 patients were discharged in the day, taking the number of the recovered cases to 23,670.
Maharashtra's coronavirus case count rises to 1,74,761
Maharashtra's coronavirus cases rose to 1,74,761 today with 4,878 new patients registered today, said the state health department.
Death count due to the pandemic in the state reached 7,855.
A total of 1,951 coronavirus patients were discharged upon recovery today, taking the number of recovered patients in the state to 90,911.
Haryana COVID-19 death count rises to 236
Haryana health authorities have reported four more coronavirus deaths as the number of infections in the state rose to 14,548 with 338 new cases today. Faridabad reported two deaths while one person died of COVID-19 in Gurugram, according to the state health department's daily bulletin.
The state has so far reported 236 deaths.
Kerala records 4,442 COVID-19 cases
Kerala's COVID-19 cases count touched 4,442 with 131 people, including nine CISF personnel from Kannur, testing positive today.
The death count in the state has climbed to 24 with the samples of a 76-year-old man testing positive today.
Of the fresh positive cases, 65 had come from abroad and 46 from other states, Health minister KK Shailaja said in a press release.
COVID-19 death count in Uttar Pradesh rises to 664
Uttar Pradesh reported 25 COVID-19 deaths today, taking their number to 697 as 664 new cases of the infection pushed the state's coronavirus count to 23,492.
Additional Chief Secretary, Medical and Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said: "So far, 697 COVID-19 patients have died in the state. The count of active COVID-19 cases stands at 6,711."
As many as 16,084 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the disease and have been discharged, he added. "The recovery percentage in the state has increased to 68.46," Mr Prasad said.
Recovery Rate Of COVID-19 Patients Nearing 60 Per CentThe recovery rate of COVID-19 patients in the country is fast approaching 60 per cent, with the Union Health Ministry attributing it to collective and focussed efforts of the Centre and states for containment and management of the pandemic."
Complete lockdown for 10 days in Maharashtra's Thane: Official
Thane city in Maharashtra will observe a total lockdown between July 2-12 to contain the coronavirus outbreak, municipal commissioner Vipin Sharma said.
Non-essential services will not operate during this period, and neither would movement of vehicles for purposes other than medical and essential travel be allowed, the order said. Movement of all essential goods as well as perishable items will be allowed during this period, the order added.
Delhi Metro services to remain closed for now: Officials
Delhi Metro services will remain closed for commuters until further notice, in view of the "Unlock 2" guidelines issued by the government, officials said.
The Delhi Metro has been closed since March 22 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
At least 505,652 people killed worldwide due to coronavirus: Report
The coronavirus has killed at least 505,652 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT Tuesday.
At least 10,322,400 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 5,187,300 are now considered recovered.
UN rights chief slams virus response in China, Russia, US
The UN rights chief said COVID-19 was being instrumentalised to silence free speech, citing China and Russia, while voicing alarm at statements in the US that "deny the reality" of the virus.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet pointed to Russia, China, Kosovo, Nicaragua among others where "threats and intimidation against journalists, bloggers and civic activists, particularly at the local level, (were being used) with the apparent aim of discouraging criticism of the authorities' responses to COVID-19".
He also voiced concern about "severe restrictions on freedoms of expression" in Egypt and "excessive and arbitrary enforcement" of pandemic response measures in El Salvador.
Healthcare workers, vulnerable sections first in line for COVID-19 vaccine: Sources
Healthcare workers and vulnerable sections of the population will get the first access when a vaccine for the novel coronavirus is found, a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided today.
Sources said the Prime Minister finalized the four-point action plan to be followed after a vaccine becomes available.
ASHA workers played critical role in COVID-19 management in UP: Minister
In a major exercise, 1.6 lakh accredited social health activists have tracked in two phases over 30.43 lakh migrants who returned to Uttar Pradesh during the COVID-19 lockdown and assisted the state government in contact tracing and community surveillance, the Health Ministry said today.
The ASHAs tracked 11.24 lakh migrant returnees in the first phases and 19.19 lakh in the second, the ministry said, adding that they not only identified 7,965 persons with symptoms but also regularly followed up on their health status.
PM chairs meet to review COVID-19 situation: Report
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today chaired a high-level meeting to review the planning and preparations for vaccination against COVID-19, as and when the vaccine is available and highlighted four guiding principles that will form the foundation of this national effort.
The Prime Minister noted that vaccination of India's vast and diverse population will need to factor in issues including those related to the management of medical supply chains, prioritisation of at-risk populations, coordination between different agencies involved in the process, as well as the role of the private sector and civil society in this national endeavour.
At 66.03 per cent, Delhi's Coronavirus Recovery Rate Higher Than National Average: Report
The Covid-19 recovery rate in New Delhi reached 66.03 per cent on June 29 as against the national rate of 58.67 per cent, according to official figures, news agency PTI has reported.
In June, the national capital added over 64,000 fresh cases to its tally, while over 47,357 patients recovered, were discharged or migrated.
Aamir Khan's Staff Test Coronavirus Positive; "Rest Of Us All Found Negative," Says Actor
Aamir Khan, on Tuesday afternoon, said that members of his staff have been diagnosed with COVID-19. In an Instagram post, the 55-year-old actor revealed that he and his family members have tested negative. However, Aamir Khan added that at the time of sharing the post on Tuesday morning, he was on his way to get his mother tested. The staff members who tested positive were immediately quarantined at a medical facility, he wrote in his post.
Top Scientist Raman Gangakhedkar, Who Played Key Role In COVID Battle, Retires Today: Research Body ICMRThe Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday announced that senior scientist Raman Gangakhedkar would retire today.
"Raman Gangakhedkar, senior scientist of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is retiring today. He has played a key role in combating the on-going COVID-19 pandemic in the country," said an ICMR official.
Coronavirus News: Flight Carrying 144 Students In Ukraine Arrives In Madhya Pradesh
A special Air India flight carrying 144 Indian students stranded in Ukraine landed at the Indore airport in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday morning, an official said.
The flight reached the airport via Delhi at 5.16 am, airport director Aryama Sanyal said.
Coronvirus Update: 18,522 COVID-19 Cases In India In 24 Hours, 5.66 Lakh Total Cases A huge spike of 18,522 new coronavirus patients was recorded in the last 24 hours, taking India's tally to 5,66,840 cases. A total of 16,893 patients have died since the beginning of the pandemic, the Union Health Ministry said this morning, adding that 418 deaths linked to the highly infectious illness were reported in the last 24 hours. The government on Monday announced the second phase of the country's gradual emergence from restrictions in a set of elaborate guidelines for "Unlock2". While containment zones - areas worst-hit by the pandemic - will continue to remain under strict curbs, more activities shall be opened outside these neighbourhoods.
Read More Coronavirus News: COVAXIN, India's First COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate, Set For Phase I, II Human TrialsA potential COVID-19 vaccine, the first to be developed in India, has been given DCGI (Drug Controller General of India) approval for Phase I and II human clinical trials that are scheduled to start across the country in July.
Developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, in association with ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research), COVAXIN is an inactivated vaccine, created from a strain of the infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus, that has shown promise in preclinical studies, demonstrating extensive safety and effective immune responses.
Drug manufacturers around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against the novel coronavirus; a novel virus is one that has never previously been identified in humans, making the task of creating a vaccine that much harder.
Read "Triple Lockdown" In Parts Of Kerala District After Coronavirus SpikeParts of Malappuram - a district in north Kerala - have been placed under "triple lockdown" - a containment strategy first implemented in Kerala's Kasaragod district - to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus.
The intensive lockdown comes after a spike in fresh coronavirus cases in parts of the district, including those of two doctors, a staff nurse and two paramedical workers in two private hospitals.
They were asymptomatic before being tested as part of the sentinel campaign - the random testing of healthcare officials and workers, as well as others on the frontlines of the battle against the novel coronavirus.
Read Coronavirus News: Unlock2 - 5-People Limit On Shops Removed, No Metro To RunLarge swathes of the country are set to remain under lockdown as the government announced the second phase of the country's gradual emergence from restrictions. While lockdown will stay containment zones, the other areas will have certain relaxations in terms of night curfew and people's presence in shops. But there will be no big ticket changes yet like opening of schools and colleges, cinema halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, bars and assembly halls or metro services will not happen yet.
Read Assam inched towards the 7,800-mark in coronavirus cases with 302 more people, including 172 from the capital city, testing positive for the infection on Monday, Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
With these, the total number of positive cases in Assam reached 7,794 from 7,492 on Sunday.
The state has 2,447 active cases, Mr Sarma said in a tweet.
COVAXIN, India's First COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate, Set For Phase I, II Human TrialsA potential COVID-19 vaccine, the first to be developed in India, has been given DCGI (Drug Controller General of India) approval for Phase I and II human clinical trials that are scheduled to start across the country in July.
Developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, in association with ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research), COVAXIN is an inactivated vaccine, created from a strain of the infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus, that has shown promise in preclinical studies, demonstrating extensive safety and effective immune responses.
Drug manufacturers around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against the novel coronavirus; a novel virus is one that has never previously been identified in humans, making the task of creating a vaccine that much harder.
Unlock2: 5-People Limit On Shops Removed, No Metro To RunLarge swathes of the country are set to remain under lockdown as the government announced the second phase of the country's gradual emergence from restrictions. While lockdown will stay containment zones, the other areas will have certain relaxations in terms of night curfew and people's presence in shops. But there will be no big ticket changes yet like opening of schools and colleges, cinema halls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, bars and assembly halls or metro services will not happen yet.